Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1887-03-25
USING FERTILIZERS.

ISINb rIRiiIiLEHO.
Manure J. The working capital Of IL
farmer Upon HE ase he makes mus
NANNY l,poul Dr., success or failure /
is often forgotten tlrt immediate a 'al
abb ity is one Of the most importin
points to be- considered There is in al
tillable land considerable stock ID
Intent fertility which requires better con.
ditions to enable crops to usc it Very.
rarely, and never except IN market gar
doning is bis inert fertility mere d
while cropping continues Nearly al,
farm operations on the soil blowing
cultivatiug and draining, have the cf4c'
Of making latent fertility available, and
are benefit mainly because VI tha ft.t.
Few farmers can afford to purp4scly add
to the stock Of latent fertility in Tia. soil
II all the manures needed can be got. til,
more freely they are used tie better
Bu. With the limited supply that any
farmer ha+ he is obliged to use it care
faIIy, applying only where it will give
the best and quickest returns.
1t i' this quality of being Immediately
available that has made commercial
furulizcrs so popular But now produc
Is so low that farmers cannot afford to
purchase commercial fertilizers as hereto.
fore. Whatthen are they to do ?
If the fertilizers are still to be used it
must be in a way to make other slowc
manurcs moro quickly available. iii
harnyard manures could be made to give
their full benefit to the first crop they
would be generally recognized as the
cheapest fertilizers that can be used
The true way to use commercial ferti-
lizers i, in connection with stable and
barnyarI manures. The caus,ic acids
mud alkalies employed ia making phos-
plate available are equally efficient when
applied to the coarscr manures Of the
bsrnyarl. In most mineral manures
an excess Of the acid remains after tn.
bone or other material is dissolved; ana
1t Is to this, acting on the vegetable
matter Of the soil aud making it fit for
pIant-food, that mineral manures owe
ahelr best effects Ifcommcrcial mapuros
fArmslcd the food directly to crops
they would be equally beneficial on all
rolls of msderate fertility; This every +,
farmer who has had much experience
wnh them knows is not the fact. On
light sand or gravel, where but little
vegetable matter is found, mineral ma
nures are often comparatively of little
value. There is nothing in such soil
for the sulphnri', .aeil OF 10 pGosphat
TO work on. With pleutst of vesetal,,
a,atter in she soit some OF i Is docompo'
cd, aud its pitrogep is changed to solu ;,
BILE nitric acid 'onc ofthe most active
stimulants TO plant food that it is posi- ),
bic to apply
Using sulphuric acid in dilute form
on stable manure may often be prof
able means Of making it more quickly
available But suphuric acid, oil OF
SitFiol, is too expensive to como into
general use as a manure. There are
cheaper though less efficient, substitutes :
Alkalics, like potash or salt, are power
ful disintcgrates Of vegetable matter, aud y
in some forms are now the cheapest
means Of digesiin,, or rather cooking
raw foods for plants Many good far
mcrs use salt mixed with phosphate to
make it more quickly available There
is still better reason for mixing salt with
stable manure for tho same purpose, be-
cause luis dIOut Is slower Ill It's tUCClS
than are mineral fertilizers Potash in
wood ashes or in the potash salts is also t
good, but in ashes it is too caustie to be
applied to mdnrcs out Of the soil, for il
will cause rapid loss Of ammonia But Il
in the ground the quick decomf position b
o-mauures !. an ndvantapc An monia !,
cannot escape as it is absorbed by the
soil and helu until claimed by plant roots.
1t is better while the present low 6
prices of farm products prevail to get 4
AouC. as ehc'ply as possible, while yet h
maintaining full average Of crops, or
rtthaps increasing them Those who
i~tye moaey 10 spare can buy expensive
fertilizers Those Who have little !
money should try to accomplish ihcnme
resul. by cheaper means Few farmers c
h,ve yet attempted to mskc a hoAe !
supply Of fertilizers, and it is true that
those sculsivators who make the most
ha,nyard manure are frequently the d
largest purchasers of commercial fcl1i a
lizers. They believe in making the land ,
rich for cropping.